Posted on 12/23/2003 7:44:58 AM PST by Theodore R.
When will Jesus return?
Posted: December 23, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness. From then on and forevermore. ..."
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NASB)
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this week and prepare for 2004 next week, I can't help but think about how close we must be to the Second Coming – when the Lord will return for His church and personally rule over the Earth for 1,000 years.
Oh, I know, some of you don't believe in such things. You think it's just a bunch of silly superstition. Even some Christians don't believe in the Second Coming. Many prefer I stick to writing about news events of the physical world rather than arcane spiritual matters.
But, as a journalist, I can't ignore hard evidence – no matter where it may lead me. And the more I study the prophetic scriptures of the Holy Bible and look at the condition of our world today, the more convinced I become that we are nearing that time. In fact, I think we are very close.
For just as Jesus' virgin birth in Bethlehem was foretold by the Hebrew prophets hundreds of years earlier, so, too, was His return to Earth predicted. The only question is when.
The most dramatic evidence for His imminent return our generation has witnessed was the rebirth of the nation of Israel more than 50 years ago. The Jews, God's chosen people, were, as prophesied, scattered over the whole earth for nearly two millennia beginning shortly after Jesus' death on the cross. Yet, in my opinion, the scriptures leave no doubt that the Jewish state would exist once again before He returned.
Interestingly, Orthodox Jews have long taught that the world would last for 6,000 years before the Messiah would come and usher in a 1,000-year period of restful human history. Since God created the world in six days, according to Genesis 1:31, and rested on the seventh day, according to Genesis 2:1, they reasoned the world's history would climax the same way. They cite Psalms 90:4, which says: "For a thousand years in Thy sight are like yesterday when it passes by."
Likewise, Christians have looked to II Peter 3:8: "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
The early church understood this "six-day theory" of world history. It was widely accepted teaching for the first three centuries of the church. From the time of Adam, we've got genealogical records to show that 4,000 years passed until the time of Christ. From Jesus' time until the present age represents another 2,000 years for a total of 6,000 years or six days.
There's also a three-day theory: Jesus rose on the third day. Would the beginning of the third millennium – or thousand-year period – not be the likely time for His return to earth? There is even strong scriptural evidence for such a theory provided in Hosea 6:2: "After two days will he revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight." Note that this prophecy is not about the Resurrection of Jesus, it's either about the resurrection of Israel after 2,000 years of dispersal or the physical return of the Lord.
In 1772, Edward Gibbon published "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," in which he cites early documents suggesting the Christian disciples of the first century were taught that Jesus would return after 2,000 years. We'll soon find out if they were right.
For many reasons, I believe Jesus is returning soon. But I'm especially drawn to II Timothy 3:1-5, which describes the state of the world in the "last days." Tell me if this doesn't sound like our world:
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. To me, that sounds like our world today.
Christmas represents a time of great hope for Christians. Of course, we're grateful that Jesus came about 2,000 years ago and died for our sins. Now we should be hopeful and expectant of His imminent return.
Merry Christmas. And happy birthday, Jesus.
I've often thought that this verse strongly implies that people looking in the Bible for dates and hours are looking for what isn't there. Since Christ the Son is the Word of God (John 1:1), if He doesn't know the date, how would the date be "secret coded" in Scripture?
I know I'm going to die in the next 60 years or so, and face the Lord's judgment. More detail than that wouldn't be beneficial for me.
Romans 9:18
"Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."
People want to feel like they are in control of everything. They aren't. God is. Many people can't handle this, sadly.
Are you assuming that he will return in Indiana? The rest of the central time zone is on daylight savings time then.
So Paul is a liar?
Of course. Most parents know that putting their kid's comments on a national website and advertising them as insightly, wise, analysis... is just dumb.
Thank God for Jesus!!!!
Thank God for Joseph Farah too.
They must not have 2-year-olds! Mine just turned up with a message about his diaper ...
I agree with the writer of this article though in saying that it will be soon, but I've been saying that for over 20 years now. Does that make the message any less vital for today's world? Not at all, people and prophets alike have warned people for almost 2000 years that the end will come.
We just have to be diligent. Don't let your lambs loose their oil.
The Bible teaches that he will come only two more times. once to retrieve all believers then anti-christ will rise and rule for awhile. Then Christ returns with the saints, overthrows all governments of the world then estabilshes his kingdom for one thousand years. At the end of the thousand years the final resurection and final judgement, then eternity.
That's it in a nutshell.
In the meantime Christians must continue to struggle against evil IN THIS WORLD!
Sweet. That would make for a cool series of best-selling novels, imho.
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